Contacts
Research interests
I am a tenure-track lecturer specialising in numerical geophysics at the ANU, with a passion for developing and optimising large-scale numerical models of Earth system processes. My research harnesses both numerical and analytical methods to address complex geoscientific problems through advanced data assimilation techniques like the adjoint method.
Groundwater Modelling:
I am currently leading the development of a state-of-the-art numerical framework designed for continental-scale modelling of variably saturated groundwater systems. This innovative platform aims to enhance our understanding and predictive capabilities of groundwater dynamics, crucial for sustainable water resource management.
Mantle Convection:
Another primary area of my research is the study of mantle convection and its impact on shaping the Earth's surface. By comparing inverse models with observations of topographic and gravity changes, my work helps elucidate the rheological and thermodynamic parameters of mantle rocks, furthering our knowledge of Earth’s internal processes.
Geoscientific Adjoint Optimisation Platform (G-ADOPT):
As a co-lead of GADOPT, I am at the forefront of integrating modelling techniques for groundwater, mantle convection, and glacio-isostatic adjustment. GADOPT (gadopt.org) employs cutting-edge numerical libraries and methods to provide robust solutions to some of the most pressing geoscientific questions.
Through these endeavours, I aim to contribute significantly to our understanding of Earth’s dynamic systems, supporting efforts in environmental sustainability and resource management.
Groups
- Researcher, Environmental Geodesy
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Davies, D. R., Kramer, S. C., Ghelichkhan, S., & Gibson, A., 2022b. Towards automatic finite-element methods for geodynamics via firedrake, Geoscientific Model Development, 15(13), 5127–5166. doi:10.5194/gmd-15-5127-2022
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Bunge, H.-P., Horbach, A., Colli, L., Ghelichkhan, S., Vilacis, B., & Hayek, J. N., in press. Geodynamic data assim- ilation: techniques and observables to construct and constrain time-dependent Earth models, Cambridge University Press–(Chapter in Book)
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Davies, D. R., Ghelichkhan, S., Hoggard, M., Valentine, A., & Richards, F. D., 2022a. Observations and models of dynamic topography: Current status and future directions. doi:10.31223/X55W5T
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Richards, F., Hoggard, M. J., Ghelichkhan, S., Koelemeijer, P., & Lau, H., 2021. Geodynamic, geodetic, and seismic constraints favour deflated and dense-cored llvps. doi:10.31223/X55601
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Ghelichkhan, S., Bunge, H.-P., & Oeser, J., 2021. Global mantle flow retrodictions for the early Cenozoic using an adjoint method: evolving dynamic topographies, deep mantle structures, flow trajectories and sublithospheric stresses, Geophysical Journal International, 226(2), 1432–1460. doi:10.1093/gji/ggab108
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Ghelichkhan, S., Fuentes, J. J., Hoggard, M. J., Richards, F. D., and Mitrovica, J. X. (2020). The precession constant and its long-term variation. Icarus, page 114172, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114172
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Hoggard, M. J., Czarnota, K., Richards, F. D., Huston, D. L., Jaques, A. L., and Ghelichkhan, S. (2020). Global distribution of sediment-hosted metals controlled by craton edge stability. Nature Geoscience, 13(7):504–510 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0593-2
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Bauer, S., Bunge, H.-P., Drzisga, D., Ghelichkhan, S., Huber, M., Kohl, N., Mohr, M., Ru ̈de, U., Th ̈onnes, D., and Wohlmuth, B. (2020). Terraneo—mantle convection beyond a trillion degrees of freedom. In Bungartz, H.-J., Reiz, S., Uekermann, B., Neumann, P., and Nagel, W. E., ed- itors, Software for Exascale Computing - SPPEXA 2016-2019, pages 569–610, Cham. Springer International Publishing
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Richards, F. D., Hoggard, M. J., White, N., and Ghelichkhan, S. (2020). Quantifying the rela- tionship between short-wavelength dynamic topography and thermomechanical structure of the upper mantle using calibrated parameterization of anelasticity. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 125(9):e2019JB019062. e2019JB019062 10.1029/2019JB019062
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Richards, F., D., Hoggard, M., Crosby, A., Ghelichkhan, S., and White, N. (2020). Structure and dynamics of the oceanic lithosphere-asthenosphere system. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, page 106559
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Bauer, S., M. Huber, S. Ghelichkhan, M. Mohr, U. Rüde, and B. Wohlmuth (2019), Large-scale Simulation of Mantle Convection Based on a New Matrix-Free Approach, Journal of Computational Science, 31, 60-76, doi:10.1016/j.jocs.2018.12.006.
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Colli, Lorenzo, Siavash Ghelichkhan, Hans-Peter Bunge, and Jens Oeser (2018), Retrodictions of Mid Paleogene mantle flow and dynamic topography in the Atlantic region from compressible high resolution adjoint mantle convection models: Sensitivity to deep mantle viscosity and tomographic input model, Gondwana Research, 53, 252-272, doi:10.1016/j.gr.2017.04.027.
- Friedrich, Anke M., Hans-Peter Bunge, Stefanie M. Rieger, Lorenzo Colli, Siavash Ghelichkhan, and Rainer Nerlich (2018), Stratigraphic framework for the plume mode of mantle convection and the analysis of interregional unconformities on geological maps, Gondwana Research, 53, 159-188, doi:10.1016/j.gr.2017.06.003.
- Ghelichkhan, Siavash, Michael Murböck, Lorenzo Colli, Roland Pail, and Hans-Peter Bunge (2018), On the observability of epeirogenic movement in current and future gravity missions, Gondwana Research, 53, 273-284, doi:10.1016/j.gr.2017.04.016, in press.
- Ghelichkhan, Siavash, and Hans-Peter Bunge (2018), The adjoint equations for thermochemical compressible mantle convection: derivation and verification by twin experiments, Proceedings of the Royal Society A, doi:https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2018.0329.
- Colli, Lorenzo, Siavash Ghelichkhan, and Hans-Peter Bunge (2016), On the ratio of dynamic topography and gravity anomalies in a dynamic Earth, Geophysical Research Letters, 43(6), 2510–2516, doi:10.1002/2016GL067929.
- Ghelichkhan, Siavash, and Hans-Peter Bunge (2016), The compressible adjoint equations in geodynamics: derivation and numerical assessment, International Journal on Geomathematics (GEM), 7(1), 1-30, doi:10.1007/s13137-016-0080-5.
- Nerlich, Rainer, Lorenzo Colli, Siavash Ghelichkhan, Bernhard Schuberth, and Hans-Peter Bunge (2016), Mantle convection models constrain central Neo-Tethys Ocean reconstructions, Geophysical Research Letters, 43(18), 9595–9603, doi:10.1002/2016GL070524.
- Weismüller, Jens, Björn Gmeiner, Siavash Ghelichkhan, Markus Huber, Lorenz John, Barbara Wohlmuth, Ulrich Rüde, and Hans-Peter Bunge (2015), Fast asthenosphere motion in high-resolution global mantle flow models, Geophysical Research Letters, 42(18), 7429–7435, 2015GL063727, doi:10.1002/2015GL063727.
- Ghelichkhan, Siavash (2013), Adjoint method in mantle convection: Impact of the model parameters, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics.